Monday, February 27, 2017

We are into the heart of the winter season! Spring Training is
off and running and the streets and restaurants are filled!

Ok don’t forget to get your tickets for my singing of the
National Anthem at Scottsdale Giants Stadium at 1pm March 6thhttp://charros.com/spring-training-baseball/ I’m
looking forward to singing for the third time. The first time I sang in opera
style, the second time I went country, and this time I’m going to give it
another spin and style! Let me know if you need any tickets to the Scottsdale Charro Lodge for any of the
games!

Last Wednesday I was honored to be part of a panel of design,
real estate, and construction experts as we spoke on the means and methods for
modernizing old world homes. We had an amazing turn out and some interesting
statistics were noted by realtor Thomas O’Leary. The Phoenix/Scottsdale market
is really undervalued and the number of homes/properties that are in need of
remodeling or freshening up is enormous. As we said in our last blog we love
remodel / addition projects and we have some amazing projects going.

Then last Thursday we had our September 2016 Tour Italy Post
Trip Dinner at the Candelaria Design~IMI Design~Cullum Homes Village of
Mountain Shadows. We had a such a great time reuniting with nearly all of our
travelers! Seriously, these trips just get better and better and we are
exciting to be adding our first Spain trip this coming June and our 15th
Tour Italy this coming September finishing in Venice. We do have room for one
couple and/or a single for the Spain trip and we have room for two couples for
the September Italy trip! http://www.candelariadesign.com/tours

So we do
squeeze in some architecture! Here is a peek of what Candelaria Design has under
construction!!!

From traditional to contemporary, from Scottsdale to Montauk,
Long Island, we have some very cool new builds and remodels underway! Right
here in Scottsdale/Phoenix we have some very interesting projects underway.
Probably one of our most unique and extreme projects going is the home we have
under construction on the south slope of Camelback Mountain! This home is being
built by BedBrock Developers http://www.bedbrock.com with the
interiors by EST EST http://www.estestinc.com . This
home is truly an engineering feat given the home is sighted on a 73% slope.
Because Phoenix will only allow a 20% slope driveay the only way we could get
to the pad site was to make half of the road a tunnel in order to get more
length and height. Our Candelaria Design
Project Architect, Meredith Thomson, has been leading the way in getting this
home out of the ground (rock)! If you drive down Camelback Road and look north
you can’t help but see it emerging on the mountain.

We have also moved to Phase 2 of our Ranch compound project near Fountain Hills. Fellow Principal, Vivian Ayala and I have been working away on this project for some time. We have completed the horse arena and the connected barn is nearing completion. Next we connect all of this to the main residence which Schultz Development http://www.schultzdevelopment.org broke ground on last week. The main house will then connect to a guest house, which will connect to an indoor pool, 2 lane bowling alley, indoor pistol range, indoor racquetball court, and indoor gym. Oh, and don’t forget the indoor telescope observatory! Interiors are being done my wife, Isabel, and her crew at Earth and Images http://www.earthandimages.com

Our Village at Mountain Shadows Project is still moving as we have now seen more than half of the available 40 units sold. The development and construction is being orchestrated by Cullum Homes http://cullumhomes.com with interiors by Anita Lange of IMI Design Studio http://imidesignstudio.com Fellow Principal, Vivian Ayala and I have designed 5 models but nearly every sale has customized the plans to their needs and so this has turned out to be so fun and we have enjoyed meeting all of the new residents. Last night the Cullums threw an amazing party celebrating the new beginnings at Mountain Shadows where the new hotel will be opening soon! The 7C’s – caviar, champagne, couture, cars, cigars and car bars! What a great time and what a wonderful project.

We have broken ground on a beautiful mountain home up in the Flagstaff Area of Pine Canyon. The home is being built by Schultz Development with interiors by Kati McPherson of KAM Interiors https://www.facebook.com/kaminteriorsinc/?rc=p This is our second home in Pine Canyon and is being quarterbacked by our Project Director, Rob Banach! This will be a beautiful two story mountain lodge with stellar views of the award winning golf course and the San Francisco Peaks of Flagstaff.

Ok that is definitely just a peek of what we have under construction. That doesn’t even scratch the surface of what we have under construction not to mention what is on the boards! Stay tuned for more in the weeks ahead and I’ll be adding some more recipes soon too!

This afternoon we will stop by and celebrate the two year
anniversary of Gigi’s Playhouse and the kickoff of Gigi’s Café and University.
Candelaria Design is proud to have offered our services to design the Playhouse
and now the Café and University. https://gigisplayhouse.org/phoenix/events/

It is definitely getting busier out there and has been gaining
momentum for some time. The Phoenix Business Journal in their November 30th
issue noted that according to Realtor.Com Phoenix, and it’s metro area, will be
the fastest growing housing market in the country in 2017 and we believe it.

We are seeing so much work in the remodel and home addition
market and we are definitely doing our share. In fact this Wednesday I will be
on a panel of renowned design, construction, technology and real estate experts
set up and sponsored by LUXE Magazine and Russ Lyon-Sotheby’s Realtors Frank
Aazami and Thomas O’Leary where we will talk about modernizing Old
World/Tuscan/ Southwest Homes. https://www.eventbrite.com/e/modernizing-old-world-luxury-homes-tickets-31713654394

We love doing these projects although they require a totally
different skill set from designing a ground up home. First and foremost is the
ability to work with what is there and figure out what how walls are being
supported, mechanical systems are being run and then understanding zoning and
neighborhood restrictions and codes. Developing a budget for these projects is
also a lot more challenging in that many times you can’t just use a cost per
square foot rule as you can on a new build. Getting the conceptual design on
paper and then getting some initial and early cost estimates can really aid in
making decisions before you move forward with engineered drawings and
construction documents.

Half of your construction budget is generally composed of the
bones or sticks and bricks and the other half are the finishes and goodies of
the project. It’s the goodies where most clients blow their budget so it is
important to get this initial estimate broken out so you know what comprises
your budget. Then use this initial estimate to fine tune your “goodies” budget
so you and / or you and your designer can select “goodies” that match your
budget.

Of course there are SO many homes that have been built in the
70’s and 80’s here is Phoenix/Scottsdale that simply need to be freshened up. On
February 15th from 12:30 to 2:30 PM LUXE magazine will feature an
event where I will be on a panel along with Interior Designer, Anita Lange and
Architect and fellow ARA member, Dale Gardon whereat we will discuss ways to
freshen up Old World Custom Homes. Let’s just say, there are a lot of them out
there and it seems the color of choice was “brown”! We have been busy
de-browning a lot of houses in the last ten years and many times that is all it
takes to give an existing house a simple makeover. Check out this episode of
our show SKETCH where that was all we basically did to a home we had designed
ten years ago. What a difference!

From the brown trim – casings, crown moulding and baseboards, to
the brown doors and brown millwork – lightening these elements up can make all
the difference in the world.

Working with our team and a good interior designer and a
landscape architect can make all the difference in the world in freshening up a
dark Old World, Southwest or Tuscan Style Home. The difference is dramatic. We
are happy to come out at no charge and give you a consultation to get your
project going! I wonder in ten years if we will be “de-graying” homes????

Happy New Year. I’m still having trouble getting used to writing
or accepting 2017 but time marches on as we all know.

We are all back from our travels and back to work on some
amazing projects. A lot of new work is in the pipeline and many projects are
about to break ground and we have a bunch currently under construction! We have
a ton of remodel and makeover projects going which we love!!! We see this
market only growing in the future and we are very excited to be a part of it.

We are busy adapting and employing new technology to both
design, present and experience our designs and we are currently working on a
Candelaria Design Dream Home that we will share in the virtual reality world
each month as it is designed so that everyone can experience and in essence
live in a Candelaria Design home. With no limitations, we expect to have a lot
of fun with this and at the same time show our untethered abilities. As the
home takes shape our viewers will be able to send comments and ideas so the
project will in essence evolve over time.

Our Candelaria Design crew is always involved in community
service and giving back and we are currently in full swing for our Gigi’s
Playhouse University and Café project and the Colten Foundation Bat Cave. Two projects
that we are so proud to be a part of and we encourage all of you in the design
and build community and of course our clients and vendors to get involved in.

Last week we announced the kick off for the construction of
Gigi’s Playhouse University and Café. https://gigisplayhouse.org/phoenix/ Candelaria
Design along with Earth and Images donated our services for Phase 1 of the
Playhouse a couple years ago and the project has had such success that now we
have just completed design on Phase 2 and are in the process of raising money
and donations of materials and services for its construction.

Then there is the Colten Foundation Bat Cave!!! https://coltencowellfoundation.org This
35,000 square foot cave is getting ready to kick off under the construction
expertise of LGE Design Build. We have a number of fun events planned to raise
funds including an auctioned off home cooked dinner for 20 at Casa Candelaria
where Isabel and I will cook a gourmet meal paired with wine. This will be a
blast and all of the proceeds will go to Colten Bat Cave. I look forward to getting more people
involved in this project – email me for more details.

Finally, we have a couple amazing Candelaria Design Tours set
for 2017. In June we will embark on our first Candelaria Design Tour Spain and
we are happy to say that that trip is SOLD OUT. http://www.candelariadesign.com/tours We will start the tour in San Sebastian Spain
and include a day the San Sebastian Cooking School. From there we will head
south to the Rioja/Basque Wine Region and enjoy four days in LaGuardia, Spain.
The trip will finish up in the magical city of Barcelona where we will enjoy
the work of Gaudi and the cuisine of Catalan. We are now taking reservations
for our 2018 Candelaria Design Tour Spain which will in essence be this same
trip so make your reservation now to join us in 2018.

In September 2017 we will embark on our 15th
Candelaria Design Tour Italy! We do have a couple spots open for this trip if
interested. We depart on September 20th where we will fly to
Florence, Italy. We will enjoy three days in Florence and then will take our
convoy down to our Umbria farmhouse compound where we will enjoy a week in the
countryside of Umbria and Tuscany. From there we will drive to Venice, Italy
where we will enjoy three days in this magical city. If interested – don’t
hesitate to contact us as this trip will fill quickly. We are offering
reservations now for our 2018 trip which will finish in Treviso where we will
tour a number of Palladio Villas. This tour will depart on September 26th
2018 so get on the list for this spectacular experience.

We are considering adding a Candelaria Design Tour Santa Fe this
August. This will be a short 5 day tour featuring the art, cuisine, and spas of
Santa Fe, New Mexico which is a very special place for my wife Isabel and I.
She was born in nearby Espanola and my ancestors settled the area in the late
1600’s. We are looking forward to sharing this experience to a handful of
travelers over an extended weekend. Email me if interested.

Ok so that fills in my free time. Meanwhile, we are busy with
our projects and clients with homes on the board on the far east coast of Long
Island to projects on the Oregon and California Coasts and projects underway in
Kansas City, and a beautiful home on the boards in Cherry Hills, Colorado. That’s
just to mention a few – not to mention the wonderful projects we currently have
underway right here in Arizona from Scottsdale, to Flagstaff down to Yuma, AZ.
All exciting!

We look forward to a great 2017! Thanks for reading and
participating on our blog. We will continue to share our designs, travels and
of course recipes for Inspiring Living the Candelaria Design way!

Mark Candelaria, AIA

Candelaria Design

Candelaria Design is a Phoenix based architectural firm specializing in residential and boutique commercial design throughout the Western United States, Canada, and Mexico. Established in 1999, the firm is committed to enhancing our clients' lives through quality design that integrates architecture, art, technology, and sustainability coupled with outstanding personal service.

Candelaria Design Projects

About Me

Hi - I'm Mark Candelaria and head the architectural firm of Candelaria Design www.candelariadesign.com. We design houses both new and remodel/additions all over the country. I am now in my 33rd year of designing homes. I'm married to the most lovely woman, Isabel, and have three daughters who are amazing! We love to travel, cook, play the piano, and enjoy entertaining and treating our friends and family to amazing cuisine. Each year I take a selected group of adventurers on my annual Candelaria Design Tour Italy. Our work is featured on a TV Series on The Design Network at http://www.thedesignnetwork.com/viewSeries.php?series_id=45 I enjoy life and make the most of each day!